Sample
Unknown Artist
early 19th century
Medium
Silk on silk
Dimensions
L. 3 x W. 2 1/2 inches 7.6 x 6.4 cm
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936
Accession Number
36.90.1704
Art Historical Context
This delicate silk-on-silk embroidered sample, created by an unknown French artist in the early 19th, offers a glimpse into the opulent world of European textile arts. Measuring just 3 by 2½ inches (7.6 x 6.4 cm), its petite scale suggests it was a swatch used by dyers, designers, or merchants to showcase intricate embroidery techniques luxurious fabric quality. Produced during a period of French innovation in fashion and decorative arts—spanning the Napoleonic era and Restoration—this piece reflects the era's emphasis on refined craftsmanship, where silk embroidery symbolized elegance and sta...